A.J. Morales
Andrew Jones de Morales y Layton (born February 7th, 1992), known professionally as "The Revolution" A.J. Morales, is a Mexican-American luchador best known for his work in the [[The XWA BattleZone (Xtreme Wrestling Alliance)|'Xtreme Wrestling Alliance']], where he is a record seven-time Hardcore Champion. Morales is the reigning NVR and San Francisco Wrestling World Champion, as well as one-half of the Seattle Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions, in his first reign with Idolution and overall, and one-half of the BUDOKAN GAIJIN DREAM FIGHT '''Yin Yang Champions, in his first reign with DareDiablos and fourth reign overall. Morales is also a full-time wrestler for '''Alianza Campeonato Mexicano and 4 Corners Wrestling. Morales first made his name in the San Francisco Bay Area independent scene as a tag team wrestler, but arrived on the international scene in the XWA as a singles competitor. He made his name in the battle to save XWA from the Survivors, and in particular his heated rivalry with Diamond Jack Sabbath, whose career Morales ended at XWA Legends in 2017. Since then, Morales has signed with and found success in several other promotions, while continuing to feature as one of XWA's top stars. Early life Morales was born and raised in a working-class, primarily Latino neighborhood of San Francisco to a Mexican mother and a white father. As a child, he had trouble fitting in with his peers due to his mixed heritage. By high school, however, Morales was an outsider in practically the entire city, thanks to waves of gentrification that drove up rent prices dramatically and forced his family to move from neighborhood to neighborhood. Finally, Morales grew fed up with this process and struck out on his own, bouncing around the Bay Area and doing odd jobs to support himself. Once he reconnected with his childhood love of lucha libre, however, he found the direction he needed to take back control of his path. Training & early career Morales began his training by studying various forms of striking martial arts, including Muay Thai and taekwondo, since the local wrestling school he wanted to apply to, Zapatista Lucha Academy, didn't allow applicants under the age of 21. Once he met that age requirement, he applied and was accepted, shifting his focus towards lucha libre. After graduating from the academy, Morales adopted his ring name and joined the ranks of Zapatista Lucha Libre, based in San Jose. He became one-third of a trios team known as Los Monterrockers, adopting a biker-influenced rockstar persona in the process, and over their years together, the team rose in popularity and eventually went on a reign as the ZLL Trios Champions. However, the team's run was cut short when one of the members was severely injured in a bus crash and forced to retire. Xtreme Wrestling Alliance (2017-present) Arrival and first matches (February 2017 - April 2017) With his tag team finished, Morales sought to break out on his own, signing with the XWA in February 2017 and adopting the nickname "The Revolution." He made his XWA singles debut in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the eighth episode of XWA Massacre, defeating Jayden Crosse by pinfall. Morales and Crosse would meet again at the pay-per-view event XWA If You Want Blood, this time in a triple threat match also involving Alex Reyn. Morales once again emerged victorious, pinning Crosse while Reyn was unconscious outside the ring. Feud with the Survivors (May 2017 - December 2017) After previously making harsh comments towards the Survivors, Morales cut a promo on Massacre during the XWA's Xtreme Cruiselines trip through the Pacific Ocean. In his speech, Morales described the gentrification that took place in his childhood, saying that it had cost him his hometown, and that he wouldn't let the Survivors do the same to the XWA. In response, during Morales's match against Cortez Columbus on the next episode of Massacre, Diamond Jack Sabbath sent Raine and Serena Maxwell of War Enforcement to interfere. Raine distracted the referee long enough for Maxwell to hit Morales with a kendo stick, allowing Columbus to get the pin. Afterwards, the duo beat down both competitors, including throwing Columbus off the boat for his ingratitude. Knowing he needed allies to watch his back, Morales promptly signed with Amy Taylor Management, which he announced at XWA On a Boat. In doing so, he, Austin Carter, Emery Layton, and Adam Fenric formed the Stars of Tomorrow, and the four assembled in the ring for the first time after Layton & Fenric's successful defense of their XWA Tag Team Championships. In June, Morales entered in the Lord of the Ring tournament, where he was placed in Group Three. He defeated Nirvana in the first round and Cassius Reed in the second before falling to the Jester in the semifinals. His strong performance in the tournament caught the attention of XWA co-owner Bella Quinn, who offered him a shot at the XWA Hardcore Championship in a Falls Count Anywhere Fatal 4-Way at Fool's Gold in Manchester. During the tournament, Morales also invited Hyphy Machinery, a tag team from ZLL, to join him in Japan, which would eventually lead to their signing with the XWA. At Fool's Gold, Kryptops retained the title after removing himself from the match only to return at the end and pin Morales. Insulted at the way he lost, Morales tracked Kryptops down to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas shortly before District XWA, and with help from Hyphy Machinery, a motorcycle he crashed into a wall, and one of Kryptops's own fireballs, Morales won the Hardcore Championship, both his first XWA championship and his first singles championship ever. The night after that, at District XWA, Morales would finally clash with Minka Carter, who he'd called out and challenged to a match before the tournament even began. Despite a valiant effort, Morales would fall short after Carter threw snake venom in his eyes, blinding him long enough for her to hit a Snake Strike and pin him. But the night wasn't without an upside, as before the fight, Morales finally got a proper confrontation with Diamond Jack Sabbath, after months of the two running interference, or at least trying to, on each other and their respective allies. As a result of their war of words, Morales secured his first Supershow main event, a Hardcore Championship title match against Sabbath at XWA With a Vengeance. But even before that match, Morales received perhaps the most important booking of his life when XWA co-owner Bella Quinn hand-selected him, along with Layton & Fenric, to represent her for a trios elimination match at XWA Legends against the Survivors, represented by Sabbath, Trace Demon, and XWA co-owner Ace Andrews, with two critical wagers on the line: Quinn's and Andrews's stakes in the company, with the winning side taking both, and Sabbath's XWA career, which would end if he was pinned during the match, regardless of the outcome. In addition, Morales would defend the Hardcore Championship in the match. At Legends, Morales ultimately found himself the last member of Team XWA left, but came back from this deficit to defeat Sabbath and Andrews singlehandedly, securing victory over the Survivors, retaining the Hardcore Championship, eliminating Sabbath from XWA, and cementing the new era as here to stay. He also appeared after Emery Layton successfully cashed in her Lord of the Ring opportunity at the XWA Supreme Championship in the main event, lifting her up on her shoulders as she celebrated her victory. Continued Hardcore Championship dominance (January 2018 - July 2018) Morales continued to hold the Hardcore Championship into 2018, and held his first true Hardcore 24/7 defense in the first XWA match of the year at an Italian restaurant in the suburbs of San Francisco, where he successfully defeated Jake Rogers. Subsequently, Morales tweeted out an open challenge for the title, which his close friend Annie Zellor answered almost immediately. This challenge eventually evolved into a Starbucks Street Fight on Massacre, which Morales won. Morales also piled up accolades in XWA's annual Piledriver Awards, where he won the award for Best Hardcore 24/7 Match and was nominated for several others. By February, Morales reached #1 in the XWA Top Ten rankings, creating speculation as to when he would receive a shot at the Supreme XWA Championship. However, that month, he would instead find himself defending the Hardcore Championship against the Lynx, who successfully ambushed him backstage at XWA and the City of the Island Hills to take the title, only for Morales to win it back that same night after an extended chase all the way out into the crowd. By March, XWA Television Champion Smith Jones had surpassed Morales in the rankings, so Morales instead main-evented XWA On A Pole against the legendary Dan Bennett in an Ultimate X match, which also resulted in Morales dropping and winning back the title in rapid succession. This brought Morales up to four reigns with the belt, tying the then-record-holder Lx-Tim. In April, Morales topped the contendership rankings again, and this time, he finally received his Supreme Championship shot in a No Man's Land match, where he faced the defending Layton, Lx-Tim, and Joey Miles. Although it seemed Morales and Layton's relationship would be tested in the battle, it ultimately ended up as a minor factor, with the two performing occasional double-teams on Tim and Miles before Miles eliminated Layton on the first fall. Morales would avenge his lover by eliminating Miles in turn, but it was Lx-Tim who ultimately came away with the victory and the Supreme Championship. Morales continued his run of Hardcore title success stretched into the Massacre: Beach Break special, where he retained in tag action as he and Austin Carter teamed up against Trevor Miller and Danny Hall, and XWA/IYH Worlds Collide, where, after a tumultous night that saw the belt change hands a whopping six times in one show, Morales ultimately walked out still champion with six reigns. However, it wasn't a successful summer for Morales, as he found himself eliminated from Lord of the Ring in the quarterfinals after Mark Storey used underhanded tactics to cheat his way to victory. Morales also finally took a definitive loss for the Hardcore Championship in July, as Rey Del Presagio--who it later turned out was Storey's alter ego--ambushed Morales in the mall for a fight that saw Presagio take the title, Morales take it back, and Presagio finally taking it a second time before walking away. Evolving relationship with Minka Carter (August 2018 - present) In August 2018, A.J. used his Lord of the Ring opening-round victory over GWP World Heavyweight Champion Blake Archer to lay claim to a title match, which he got on Massacre. But Morales lost that match thanks to a mysterious recurring phenomenon where every time A.J. wrestled in XWA, the lights, stage, and sound system would start to spaz out mid-match as part of an intentional effort to cheat him out of victory. While this lights phenomenon had occurred twice before, this was the first time the lights had directly cost A.J. a victory, and given that it was a world title match, he was all the more incensed. After hearing reports that a member of the Kagome crime family had entered the production truck as the match was occurring, A.J. immediately attempted to force answers out of the clan, first from Aki Yasuko, then from Kaida herself. Although Kaida confessed and literally threw A.J. off Xtreme Cruiselines for his trouble, the discovery of new evidence, namely a series of death threats sent by an anonymous "D.C." to XWA production staff, forced Morales to stop and make one last check, just to be sure he really had the right person. As it turned out, that was the right move, because at Face Your Demons, Minka Carter revealed herself as the true culprit. This revelation, combined with their long and sordid history as enemies, pushed A.J. to a new level of anger, and he challenged her to face him at Legends inside Hell in a Cell (or the Hellmouth, as it was branded for this particular match). With tensions running high after Emery Layton's forced retirement just minutes before, the two let their violence escalate to the point of outright attempting to kill each other, and A.J. seemed at one point to have gone off the deep end entirely. But after Minka finally managed to prove that she was suffering from a split personality, and that her evil side was actively trying to suppress her original self, A.J. was able to pull himself back from the brink, and with a massive triple-jump Prikasa, Morales slew the demon in Carter's head. At the start of 2019, Morales embraced his role as the so-called "Superman" of the company, defending its honor against Vespertine after her inflammatory podcasts about Legends by defeating her at Brave New World in January. Title-wise, he seemed to follow two paths at once, quickly tying for third on the XWA Top Ten while also signaling he wanted to compete in the Tag Team Classic that year. However, a combined Classic delay and loss to Jace Albright at XWA's China Anniversary seemed to throw both of those off-track. In April, Morales would receive a chance to earn #1 contendership to the XWA Tag Team Championships at XWA On A Pole. To Morales's surprise, XWA owner Bella Quinn handpicked the returning Minka Carter, who'd been in Europe making a fresh start for herself, as his partner, saying the two had more potential as a team than they thought. Quinn also put them in a surprise match against another debuting tag team, the Coven, at Massacre 43. BUDOKAN GAIJIN DREAM FIGHT (2017 - present) While preparing for the match at Fool's Gold, Morales stumbled upon a new avenue of his career in BUDOKAN GAIJIN DREAM FIGHT. Originally intending to drop in for a guest appearance as part of a tag team, Morales found himself entered in the Odd Couples Tournament, with a bracket of twelve randomly-paired teams. After drawing Katie Moicelle as his partner, the two quickly used their common ground as fans of star NBA player Kevin Durant as a basis for their new team. Los Durantos would go on to win the tournament, becoming the inaugural BGDF Yin Yang Champions in the process. At BGDF's next three-night event, Morales and Moicelle featured in back-to-back main events, first in a successful Yin Yang title defense on night 2, then as opponents in a 30-man battle royale for a future shot at the BGDF Very Big, Very Powerful U.S. Championship. Morales would put in one of the most impressive performances of the night, entering at #1 and lasting over an hour before coming in second place to Jack Tillman. After the match ended, BGDF's championship committee decided to grant all of the final four combatants title shots, one after the other, on the strength of their success in the match. But soon after that show, Moicelle's long-building self-doubt and stress would culminate in her leaving home and vacating all of her championships, including the Yin Yang Championship. Morales promptly refused to give up his share of the titles, on the grounds that he had no prior notice of the titles' vacancy, and eventually, he and BGDF came to a deal: he would remain one-half of the champions, with a new partner rotating in for every defense until he either selected one as his permanent teammate or lost the titles. Morales would finally get his U.S. Championship title shot against Anna Mathews, but despite his attempts to prevent any outside interference, he lost that match when a gunshot from the crowd grazed his cheek, incapacitating him long enough for Matthews to pin him. The culprit soon turned out to be hitman Kei Goto, hired by former U.S. Champion Michael Hayden, who Morales had repeatedly called out for relying on run-ins to stay champion. Swearing revenge, Morales joined Jack Tillman, another victim of Goto's shots in a prior match, in a Yin Yang Championship title match, and lost by disqualification after Hyphy Machinery intervened to prevent another run-in and superkicked Hayden in the process. This led to another shot for Hayden, this time against Morales and Austin Carter, but Hayden would lose by pinfall that time. However, Morales failed to avenge similarly avenge himself against Goto, who knocked him out with a blowdart in the middle of their street fight two nights later to win by pinfall. When Morales's original teammate returned to BGDF, now using the ring name of Katie Daniels, the question of when she and Morales would reunite, or if they would even get the chance to before Morales lost the titles, lingered in fans' minds for months. But before it could go on for too long, BGDF announced a special Thanksgiving event with all championships on the line and all challengers kept secret. Since staying in The Brave and the Bold would mean Morales not even knowing who his partner was for the match until showtime, he decided to end the experiment of The Brave and the Bold ahead of the show by officially naming Daniels his permanent partner, thereby reinstating Los Durantos as Yin Yang Champions. The team would then go on to make the start of their second reign official by defeating their challengers, Carlos Cruz and PLAGUE. Los Durantos were scheduled to make their next defense against Fizz and The Underbaker, but after the promotion's hostile takeover by Dr. Phineas Irons, the entire roster was released from their contracts. In response, Morales led the charge as the original roster invaded Irons's first show, liberating the promotion from his control. Once something resembling order was restored and BGDF began its world tour, Los Durantos began to defend the titles once again. The first of these defenses came in Rome, where they entered first in a six-team Elimination Chamber match and outlasted all other teams to prevail. Shortly after, the team would win their previously-scheduled match against Fizz and the Underbaker in Paris. This would turn out to be Los Durantos' last match together, as Morales would kick Katie, now going by the last name Montes, off the team for reasons not currently known to the public. He retained his half of the titles, but the other was yet again vacated. The same night of that last match, Morales rekindled his old rivalry with Michael Hayden by participating in a four-way match for Hayden's BGDF Very Suave, Very Sophisticated European Championship, also involving Lisa Seldon and Brien Storm. Morales would come up short, thanks to Hayden pinning Storm, but did not consider this a reason to stop pursuing the gold. After a mysterious weeks-long delay, the tour finally continued with a show in Berlin, Germany. In BGDF's characteristically unconventional fashion, the show included an A.J. Morales on a Pole match between Storm, Emery Layton, PLAGUE, and Austin Carter, where the first participant to claim Morales from off the pole would gain the other half of the Yin Yang Championships. Ultimately, Carter prevailed, forming the team DareDiablos and kicking off Morales's fourth consecutive reign with the title. Alianza Campeonato Mexico (2018 - present) CWC era (January 2018 - July 2018) As part of an initiative to include more Mexican wrestlers on the roster, Alianza Campeonato Mexico, the Mexican territory of the Championship Wrestling Coalition, signed Morales in January 2018. With ACM Mexico City Champion Julie Carter in need of a challenger at the Noche de Campeones supershow, Morales volunteered, getting the shot for his debut match in the company. After a hard-fought battle, which Morales seemingly had won, interference by the tag team Parker Bros. Inc. enabled Carter to roll Morales up for the victory, revealing herself as an affiliate of the hated Conglomerate and alienating what had been a supportive crowd in the process. Angered by the way he lost, Morales swore to work his way back to another shot at the championship and get his revenge. This led to a pair of headlining matches on ACM Campo de Batalla against fellow high-flying crowd favorite Johnny Amazing, each of which ended with one scoring a surprise roll-up on the other for the victory. To settle the score and provide a more definitive result, Morales and Amazing would subsequently have one more match, a 2-out-of-3 falls contest at Espiritu de Lucha, which Morales welcomed as a throwback to lucha libre tradition. However, the match ended in a draw when, after tying at 1 fall apiece, neither man could continue fighting for the third fall. The inconclusive result of this match led to both Morales and Amazing continue to dispute who was better, including in an argument with Austin Carter, Stephen Eversol, and Bethany Driver over who deserved to be the #1 contender to the ACM World Championship. After the ensuing five-way match for contendership ended in a no-contest, General Manager Lara Pegorino ruled that all five would face Angelica Vaughn in the first-ever Templo de Destrucción match for the ACM World Championship. Over the rest of ACM's tour of Japan and the American Midwest, Morales successfully defended his XWA Hardcore Championship against Vaughn, but was also forced to enter the Templo first, as per the stipulation of a match he lost to Bethany Driver. In the end, all five contenders would fall short, as Vaughn retained the title once again. From there, Morales would become something of an ACM ambassador, as he competed in and won the first West X Wrestling match after that company's buyout and reboot under ACM ownership. Morales's path in ACM also came full circle when, at Companía de Tres, Morales faced Ruby and Nik Thoreau in a triple threat for Thoreau's Mexico City Championship, which Morales won by pinning Ruby. Appearances on CWC supercards (February 2018 - May 2018) Morales has represented ACM at multiple CWC interpromotional events since signing his contract. The first of these appearances came at the two-night Breakout tournament in Miami for a shot at the CWC Junior Heavyweight Championship. He was placed in Group Two and repeatedly referred to himself as the overall #1 seed in the tournament, based off his name being announced first in the official field reveal. Morales defeated Sentinel Wrestling Alliance's Dickie Harter and Johannesburg City Pro's Savanah Mirage in the first two rounds, respectively, before finally losing in the Group Two final to fellow ACM representative Angelica Vaughn. Later that same month, Morales entered CWC Date Night, a couples' tag team beat-the-clock challenge in Rome, alongside Emery Layton. The two began calling themselves the Wedding Cake Bandits, in reference to their habit of stealing wedding cakes from ostentatious weddings, which they demonstrated by walking into their backstage interview with a ten-tier cake they'd just stolen earlier that day. This match also marked Morales's second in-ring encounter with Dickie Harter, who teamed with his boyfriend Zaqiel, and once again, Morales came out the winner, this time by countering a powerbomb attempt by Zaqiel into a roll-up to set the new record at 9 minutes and 21 seconds. Other teams came close in the remaining three matches of the night, but none were able to beat the record, and Morales and Layton won the night, as well as a guaranteed shot at the CWC World Tag Team Championships at CWC's one-year anniversary show in New Orleans the next month, where they lost to The Society after interference by the Followers. Morales was originally scheduled to face Cactus Jack Bronson at Ana Hayden's Bloodsport, but a scheduling conflict prevented Morales from appearing, so he was replaced by Scott Lupinacci. His final appearance at a CWC supercard came on Night 2 of United We Stand II, where Morales unsuccessfully competed in the 100-man Sole Survivor battle royale. El Alcalde (July 2018 - December 2018) Morales would make his first Mexico City Championship defense in a 30-minute ironman match with Mitsuo Shimada at WXW III, winning 1-0 in overtime. Shortly afterward, ACM would break away from CWC, going through other brief alliances for the rest of 2018, including a stretch as a 4CW brand. During that time, Morales adopted the nickname "El Alcalde" as a sign of his commitment to being champion of the city specifically and continued to make defenses regularly, including one over Trevor Miller in August and a United Kingdom Deathmatch win over Masatake Kawamata at the October supershow, As We Proceed. His reign finally ended on the first and ultimately only Campo de Batalla of the 4CW-ACM era, where he lost the title to Mariano Fernandez. SEP era (March 2019 - present) After ACM joined a new coalition, the Southside-Evolution Pact, in spring 2019, Morales was one of the first to reassert his commitment to the company and announce his entry into the ACM Championship Tournament, a 16-person single-elimination tournament for an ACM World Championship opportunity. Morales's opening round match against Mariano Fernandez also doubled as a rematch for the Mexico City Championship. Seattle Pro Wrestling (2018 - present) Early contendership struggles (January 2018 - May 2018) Morales's first appearance in SPW came in late January 2018, as a surprise entrant in the Pinnacle Battle Royale, part of Mainstream 7: Greed in Las Vegas. Morales scored one elimination in the match, and although he came in 11th place from an order-of-elimination standpoint thanks to former SPW Heavyweight Champion Declan Black, Morales's performance and overwhelmingly positive reception from the crowd convinced the company to offer him a full-time contract. Morales's first match as an official member of the roster soon followed at Fusion 3 in Houston, where he faced the wily veteran Chris Crippler to open the show. Not only did Morales win that clash of styles, but his performance yet again impressed the front office enough to select him as Bryan Blaze's next challenger for the SPW Heavyweight title. That challenge went down at Mainstream 8: Lust in San Jose. This was an emotionally significant night for Morales, not just as his first opportunity at any promotion's top title, but because it marked five years to the day since he began wrestling school in the very same city. Despite a hard-fought effort and hometown crowd, however, Morales ultimately fell just short after a missed Raynmaker left him wide open for Blaze to get the cover. Heading into the next show, Mainstream 9: Envy in Seattle, Morales found himself at #3 on the company's quarterly Top Contenders list. He then defeated Jacob Hammerstein and Trixie, who were ranked #1 and #5 on the list, respectively, which helped him get an opportunity at the SPW Tag Team Championships, held by #SexAppeal (Billy Danielson and Scotty Latimer) alongside Pride Champion AJ Knight. In that match, held at Conflict: Sloth in Arizona, Morales and Knight would ultimately fall short, but the match laid the foundation for a Pride Championship match at Mainstream X: Pride, where Knight ultimately prevailed. Pride Champion (May 2018 - February 2019) After Mainstream X, the SPW Championship Committee announced a four-person tournament for #1 contendership to the Pride Championship, naming Morales, Trixie, Derrick La'Bell, and the debuting Bishop as the entrants. Morales successfully campaigned to have the tournament named "Pride Grand Prix" before defeating Bishop and Trixie in the semifinals and finals, respectively. The latter also doubled as an opening-round match in the 2018 Emerald City Classic, where Morales would lose in the semifinals to the SPW Television Champion, Ryan Henderson. At Conflict in late June, Morales received his second Pride Championship opportunity against Knight, where this time, Morales won by technical submission after Knight, on his second match of the night, passed out while caught in Morales's Lethal Protector hold. As part of Morales's bonus for winning the title, Seattle Pro helped finance Hard Rock Is Dead, Morales's all-star personal project show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Resort in Las Vegas where every match was Falls Count Anywhere. At that show, Morales also awarded the Hard Rock Cup to Lisa Seldon, recognizing her for putting in the performance of the night and guaranteeing her a Pride Championship match. Morales would make two defenses, first against Jacob Davies at the Emerald City Classic finals, then against Seldon at Fusion 5, before losing it to Bryan Blaze at Mainstream 13, the first time the title had ever been defended outside the United States. Two weeks later, at Conflict: Brooklyn, Davies, who had his own issues with Blaze, caused a distraction to inadvertently help Morales win the title back in a rematch. This also made Morales the first person ever to hold the Pride Championship for multiple reigns. The second reign would prove far more successful than the first, as he made five more defenses over major players like Billy Danielson and Ryan Henderson, three of which all happened in the same week. However, the recurring inconclusive finishes against Danielson, combined with Danielson winning a second Pride Grand Prix for winter 2018, led to one last match at the 2nd Anniversary show at Safeco Field, where Danielson finally defeated Morales to become not only Pride Champion, but Seattle Pro's first-ever Grand Slam Champion. After SPW founder and owner Robb Daniels briefly handed company oversight to new General Manager Reese Kennedy, Kennedy would attempt to cheat Morales out of a rematch by deliberately scheduling it for Christmas Chaos, which took place during Morales's already-cleared vacation time for his honeymoon. Before this could lead to a major confrontation, Kennedy's various mismanagements led to Daniels taking control back. At Mainstream 17, the first SPW show of 2019, Morales drew #1 in the Pinnacle Battle Royale, scored four eliminations, and ultimately ended up eliminated second-to-last. He also challenged Danielson to one last ladder match for the Pride Championship. This match, which took place in London at Mainstream 18, ended controversially when Jimmy Pagan interfered right when Morales was about to secure the Pride Championship and cleared the path for an unwitting Danielson to retain. Tag Team Champion (March 2019 - present) After his thorough ejection from the Pride title scene, Morales would quickly find a new direction thanks to Idolution, his previously-established tag team with close friend Christina Idol. The two challenged the long-dominant Trix Turners, comprised of Trixie and Mariano Fernandez, for the SPW Tag Team Championships at Mainstream 19, and to the surprise of many, Idolution came away victorious. Idolution would make their first successful defense at a Conflict taping in Seattle, where they main-evented against the Tenacious Wrecking Crew. Napa Valley Revolution/NVR (July 2018 - present) Developmental/R!OT era (July 2018 - December 2018) When Napa Valley Revolution began as a developmental brand for Seattle Pro, Morales started off in a managerial role for Tenshi Van Santana, a ZLL alumnus originally trained by fellow ex-Monterrocker Angel Van Santana. However, despite Tenshi's obvious potential, legal and contractual issues would soon sideline Tenshi from competition. As the promotion began to transition from Seattle Pro's developmental to more of a second brand, Morales would begin to wrestle there himself, first at NVR R!OT 8, where he defended the SPW Pride Championship against Billy Danielson and Brett Wilde, then at R!OT 9, where he and Christina Idol won their first match as Idolution over Rivers Jhack King and Onishi Kenz. At the 11th and final R!OT, he faced NVR RIZE Champion Ricki Wilde in what turned out to be his last Pride Championship defense, winning by disqualification after Billy Danielson attacked him mid-match. Coalition/FUSION era (January 2019 - April 2019) After NVR abandoned its original full name and converted to an interpromotional alliance including all Battleground Network promotions centered around Fusion supercards, Morales quickly entered the NVR Heavyweight Championship scene, starting with a four-way main event at Fusion: Charlotte against Brett Wilde, Derrick La'Bell, and defending champion Jimmy Pagan. Although Morales lost, he also didn't take the fall, and both insiders and fans began to speculate, starting almost immediately after Pagan pinned Wilde, as to when and where Morales would receive a second opportunity. After Pagan's interference in Morales's Pride Championship ladder match at SPW Mainstream 18, Robb Daniels decided to correct for that event by awarding A.J. a second NVR Heavyweight Championship match, this time in the form of a one-on-one steel cage match at Fusion: San Jose. This time, after a bloody affair, Morales hit a Prikasa from off the top of the cage and pinned Pagan to win the championship. Morales would then make his first defense of the title at Renegade Wrestling Chapter Ten against Logan Blackham. As this was the first overseas defense, it officially elevated the title to world championship status. Touring era (April 2019 - present) At SPW Mainstream XX, NVR figurehead Caleb Jackson announced that, starting in May, the brand would go back to being its own promotion rather than a coalition, as well as touring all of North America. Morales's title was subsequently renamed the NVR World Championship, and he continued to tour the world making challenges, starting in Japan, at Yamashi Promotions' After Dark against Cactus Jack Bronson. Morales would also visit the company's Iron Japan brand, where he defended the title against Amira Kassouri. Morales is currently set to main-event NVR Fusion: Riot's End, where he will defend the NVR World Championship against Jimmy Pagan and Izzy Van Doren, the only two other people to have ever held the belt. San Francisco Wrestling (August 2018 - April 2019) After publicly lobbying for CWC to add a San Francisco territory for months, Morales finally got his wish in August 2018 with the opening of San Francisco Wrestling. At the debut show, Morales defeated Smoke for the SFW 24/7 Championship, becoming the first champion of any kind in the promotion, but lost the title shortly after to Marilyn Lee Cross. Over the next few weeks, Morales would repeatedly cross paths with Chris Dunn, who picked up a dirty win over Morales at San Fran Graps 3 before eliminating him in similarly cheap fashion from the SFW Championship Gauntlet at the following show. At San Fran Graps 6, the two fought one last time, under the condition that if Dunn won, Morales would never be able to fight Dunn in SFW again under any circumstances; Morales finally scored the win, ensuring Dunn wouldn't be his ceiling in the company. At the following show, Morales received a one-on-one opportunity at Corey Grimes's SFW Championship. Although Morales technically won the match, he did so on a disqualification after Caroline Clarke pulled Morales out of the ring, meaning Grimes was still the champion. As this was the last show before SFW's hiatus, the inconclusive ending hung over both men's heads for months, and the following April, at Evolution Wrestling's One-Year Anniversary show, Morales and Grimes would fight for the title again in hopes of a more conclusive result. This time, Morales won by pinfall, making him the SFW World Champion. With two world titles in his posession, Morales would borrow from professional boxing and begin referring to himself as a Super World Champion, but did not unify the SFW World Championship into the NVR World Championship. 4 Corners Wrestling (August 2018 - present) Guest competitor (August 2018 - October 2018) Morales's first appearance in 4CW came at Adrenaline 88, where he challenged 4CW-exclusive Bronx Valescence, widely considered the best wrestler in the world at the time, to a match at the following Adrenaline. After their mutual friend Ana Hayden tweeted an acceptance message from Bronx's account, effectively forcing him into the match, Valescence would ultimately beat Morales, though not without Morales earning his and the wider 4CW fanbase's respect in the process. Morales then made a return at the Fright Night V, which he chose for the emotional significance of competing in Mexico City during Día de Muertos. He faced Damien Miri, also there as a guest, and came away victorious. Reedvolution (January 2019 - present) At the start of 2019, with ACM allied with 4CW at the time, Morales also signed a deal to become part of the Adrenaline brand roster. He formed the tag team Reedvolution with fellow newcomer Bianca Reed, and together, they entered the Tag Team Into the Future tournament. After defeating returning 4CW Hall of Famer Chris Madison and Kat Jones, his teammate, in the opening round, Reedvolution received their first 4CW Tag Team Championship opportunity in the semifinals at Adrenaline 97, where they lost to the defending American Mangs. After Morales lost to Madison in singles competition at the following Adrenaline, he would reunite with Reed to face the Sadboiz at the Retrograde pay-per-view, where Reedvolution won in dominant fashion. With Reedvolution already recognized as the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Championships for the next pay-per-view, South Beach Brawl, the two would spend the next three Adrenalines in singles competition. Morales was able to pick up a win over Alessandro Quagliaterre, but was much less successful dealing with the 4CW North American Championship scene, losing to both #1 contender Eden Connors and reigning champion Eli Carlson. Other promotions (2017 - present) As part of his preparation for his Lord of the Ring match later that month, Morales made an appearance at HELL Lucha Libre's HELL y Amigos special event in June 2017 as part of one of several Lethal Lottery tag team matchups. Morales and El Hijo del Espiritu Santo teamed against SSWA's Elizabeth Lannister and Dragon UV, losing the match after Lannister pinned Santo as Morales and UV brawled outside the ring. After defeating Phoenix Wrestling Rebirth Champion Cassius Reed in the tournament, Morales inquired about potential opportunities at the championship. He eventually received an invitation to PW's Boats 'n' Throws battle royale for a #1 contendership opportunity, where he reached the final four and scored two eliminations, but was ultimately eliminated by Rising Phoenix Champion Anastasia Starling. Shortly after XWA Legends, Morales entered Vengeance Pro Wrestling's Open Call Battle Royale at Die Hard With Vengeance. Once again, he reached the final four and scored an elimination, but was eliminated in turn by Michael Hayden, furthering their long-standing rivalry. Along with Dontell Porter and Jason Moana, Morales entered Guerreros of Lucha's Lucha World Cup for 2018 as Team Bay Area. The team won the first round against the American Ultras, but lost in the finals, a TLC match, to Dogs of War. The win over Ultras did secure Team Bay Area a spot in a ladder match the next month for the vacant GOL Trios Championships, but ultimately lost to Dogs of War again after Jack Tillman threw Morales off the ladder and through a flaming table. Wrestling persona Morales identifies with the tecnico philosophy of lucha libre, as reflected in his high-flying offense and friendliness to crowds no matter where he goes. His gimmick throughout his career has been that of a rockstar, with strong influences from biker and metal fashion, and in line with that, he's known to refer to himself as a "sexy luchador" and occasionally ride motorcycles down to the ring. Upon joining the XWA, A.J. added a self-described "insurgent" flavor to his persona, taking the nickname "The Revolution" and adding Zapatista-influenced iconography to his look to pay tribute to his original home promotion. This also extended to his actions in the company, styling himself as a rebel leader in opposition to the Survivors. During the Xtreme Cruiselines portion of the XWA's Global Domination world tour, Morales, along with Emery Layton, adopted elements of a pirate gimmick, referring to himself as "Captain Blondstreak" and wearing a full pirate costume to the ring for his match with Cortez Columbus. He downplayed these aspects once the Japan leg of the tour began, but has since revived the persona at other boat-based shows. Morales is an open fan of comic books and superhero fiction, and frequently includes homages to his favorite characters in the form of logos on his attire and the names of his moves. Among these characters are Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), El Diablo (Chato Santana), Venom, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Personal life Morales identifies as Chicano, speaks fluent English and Spanish, and takes pride in his Mexican ancestry. He claims that his family has lived in Monterrey, Mexico for hundreds of years, and whenever he wrestles in Mexico, he adds the city to his billed hometown in honor of that. Morales is an avid sports fan, particularly of the San Francisco 49ers. He also supports the Oakland Athletics, the Golden State Warriors, C.F. Monterrey, and Mexico's national soccer team. Morales is politically outspoken, particularly on the issue of gentrification, and is vocal in his opposition to right-wing authoritarian politicians, particularly in the United States and Latin America. Morales began dating Emery Layton in May 2017, around the same time that the two both joined the Taylor Promotions faction. They became engaged a little over a year later on her birthday, and got married on a pirate ship off the coast of Ireland on December 21, 2018. They subsequently took each other's last names, mostly because A.J. thought it was funny. Artistic ventures Prior to becoming a wrestler, A.J. was involved in the San Francisco Bay Area punk and metal scene, working as a roadie and merch guy for various bands. He has been known to make guest appearances on his friends' musical side-projects, including making a live performance with Izzy Van Doren's band Patient Zero and recording a cover of Jarrod Alonge's "12 Days of Pop Punk Christmas" for the compliation album Annie & Owen Do Christmas. Morales made his acting debut in the 2018 horror film Alone You'll Die, where he played the role of Sparrow Barnett. He will also play Smoke in an upcoming Mortal Kombat film adaptation, which is currently scheduled for release in fall 2019. In wrestling Finishing moves * Diamond Killer (FKA Kliq Kliq Boom) (Top rope spinning heel kick) * Liberator (Superman punch) * Lethal Protector (Ripcord slingblade feint into Coquina Clutch) Signature moves * 94 Blitz (Striking spear) * Golden Goal (Enziguri) * El DiaBlade (FKA The Guillotine) (Leaping clothesline) * Fuckin' Slayerrrr (''superkick) * ''Lantern's Flight ''(moonsault) '''Managers' * Amy Taylor (May 2017 - December 2018) * Michelle Moana (January 2019 - present) Nicknames * "The Revolution" * "The Monterrockstar" * "The Rawest Wrestler Alive" * "The Iron Luchador" * "A.J. the Diamond Slayer" * "Superchamp/El Supercampeón" * "Captain Blondstreak" * "#SexyLuchador" * "The Santana of Shit-Talk" * "The MVP of Budokan Hall" * "Fiddy Centavo" * "El Alcalde" Tag teams and stables * Taylor Promotions/Stars of Tomorrow (w/ Austin Carter, Adam Fenric, Emery Layton, Dontell Porter, & Jason Moana) * Los Durantos (w/ Katie Moicelle) * Emorales/The Wedding Cake Bandits (w/ Emery Layton) * The Brave and the Bold (w/ random partners every BGDF Yin Yang title defense) * Team XWA (w/ Emery Layton & Adam Fenric) * Team Bay Area (w/ Dontell Porter & Jason Moana) * DareDiablos (w/ Austin Carter) * BUDOKAN GAIJIN TEAM FIGHT (w/ Austin Carter & Michael Hayden) * Idolution (w/ Christina Idol) * Reedvolution (w/ Bianca Reed) Entrance themes * "The Rose-Petalled Garden" by Black Label Society (ZLL, with Los Monterrockers, pre-March 2017; SPW, as a special entrance theme, February 2018) * "Rolling Stone" by Falling in Reverse (XWA, March 2017 - May 2017; default in various promotions, December 2018 - present) * "Faint" by Linkin Park (XWA, June 2017 - August 2017) * "Nobody's Listening (Green Lantern Remix)" by Linkin Park (various, whenever doing a Green Lantern-themed entrance, sporadic since August 2017) * "Roundball Rock" by John Tesh (BGDF, solo/with Los Durantos, August 2017 - October 2017, November 2017 - January 2018) * "Revolution/Revolución" by Ill Niño (XWA, September-October 2017) * "How to Rob" by 50 Cent (BGDF, solo/with The Brave and the Bold, October 2017 - November 2017) * "Champion (Rawest Remix Alive)" by Falling in Reverse (while a champion in various promotions, November 2017 - present) * "Purple Lamborghini" by Rick Ross ft. Skrillex (XWA, special themed entrance, December 2018) * "Blow the Whistle" by Too $hort (GOL, with Team Bay Area, December 2017-January 2018) * "People of the Sun" by Rage Against the Machine (ACM/CWC, January 2018-November 2018) * "Let Me Rock" by X-Ecutioners ft. Start Trouble (various, with DareDiablos or Taylor Promotions, February 2018 - present) * "The Wedding List" by Kate Bush (CWC, with the Wedding Cake Bandits, February 2018-December 2018) * "'Nowhere" by Therapy? (SPW, April 2018 - November 2018) * "Reverse This Curse" by Escape the Fate (default in various promotions, August 2018 - December 2018) * "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme" by Nerf Herder (XWA, special themed entrance, December 2018) * "HEAT" by BROCKHAMPTON (NVR, special themed entrance, January 2019) * '"Who's Who" by Dilated Peoples (4CW, with Reedvolution, January 2019 - present) * "Break the Rules" by Charli XCX (SPW, with Idolution, March 2019 - present) Championships and accomplishments Alianza Campeonato Mexicano * ACM Mexico City Champion (1 time) BUDOKAN GAIJIN DREAM FIGHT * BGDF Odd Couples Tournament winner - with Katie Moicelle * BGDF Yin Yang Champion (4 times, current) - with Austin Carter (1, current), Katie Moicelle/Daniels/Montes (2), and various randomly-selected partners (1) * Record-holder for longest time spent in a BGDF battle royale (65:30) Championship Wrestling Coalition * CWC Date Night winner - with Emery Layton Death Trip Wrestling * DTW Eternal Warfare Champion (1 time) Guerreros of Lucha * 2018 Lucha World Cup finalist - with Dontell Porter and Jason Moana NVR *NVR World Championship (1 time, current) Psychedelic Championship Warriors * PCW Match of the Month (vs. Jett, September 2018) * PCW Warrior of the Month (September 2018) Union Battleground * UB Valor Award - Guest of the Year (Season 2) San Francisco Wrestling * SFW 24/7 Champion (1 time) * SFW World Champion (1 time, current) Seattle Pro Wrestling * SPW Pride Grand Prix winner (Summer 2018) * SPW Pride Champion (2 times) * SPW Tag Team Champion (1 time, current) - with Christina Idol * SPW Year-End Award (1 time) ** Most Popular Wrestler (2018) Xtreme Wrestling Alliance * XWA Hardcore Champion (7 times) * XWA Piledriver Award (2 times) ** Best Hardcore 24/7 Match (2017, vs. Kryptops) ** Best Hardcore 24/7 Match (2018, vs. The Lynx) * #1 ranking on XWA Top Ten, February and April 2018 Zapatista Lucha Libre * ZLL Trios Champion (1 time) (with Los Monterrockers) External links XWA BattleZone profile Championship Wrestling Coalition profile Seattle Pro Wrestling profile Category:Male Wrestlers